Elise Mertens and her Russian doubles partner Veronika Koedermetova have reached the doubles final of the WTA top tournament in Miami. The first seed heads needed a super tiebreak against the American tandem Cori Gauff/Caty McNally, but they were supreme in it: 6-4, 3-6, 10-2.
Mertens and Koedermetova flushed out their disappointment with Indian Wells in Miami, when they surprisingly went out in the first round.
Mertens, who won the doubles tournament in Indian Wells last year, and her new partner Koedermetova immediately went through the service of Gauff/McNally and that break was enough for set 1.
In the 2nd set there were break chances back and forth, but it was the home players who managed to break the break: 3-6.
A super tiebreak had to decide and there was no measure on the Belgian-Russian duo. It went from 3-0 to 9-1 and 10-2.
Mertens and Koedermetova can celebrate a second double title on Sunday this year: in February they were the best in Dubai. Opponents are the German Laura Siegemund and the Russian Vera Zvonareva.
(read Mertens’ reaction below photo)
Elise Mertens.
Mertens: “Doubling with Veronika is going very well”
Elise Mertens was of course satisfied with the final place: “We played a brilliant super tiebreak.”
“A bad serve game on my part cost us the second set. It was difficult to break back. Gauff’s serve in particular is very strong. But in the super tie-break we went full for the win and everything ran smoothly.”
Mertens already won in Miami in 2019, then alongside Aryna Sabalenka. “I am very happy to be here in the final again, now with a new partner. Veronika is doing very well. She is a very nice and sympathetic girl.”
“We motivate each other, are open to the suggestions of the other and have become a real team. She has powerful strokes and an excellent service. That allows me to come to the net more.”
What will the final bring? “Zvonareva and Siegemund have a lot of experience. In any case, we will try to impose our own game. Everything we then play as in the super tiebreak, a lot is possible.”
